My Favourite Images of 2017

January 3, 2018

Its that time again with the changing of the calendar when we as hobbyists, professionals or those just with delusions of grandeur (looking in the mirror here) look back on our work from the previous year and pick out our best or favourite images. Some might call it cliche to do so, as many of our lovely locations throughout this fair Isle have become, but for those of us who make a few pennies from our photography it also serves as a reminder to our customers of images we posted back last winter or in early spring that they’d missed or forgotten about.

It is also a chance for us as artists to look back on the years best, compare to previous top picks and see where we’ve improved or stood still in our image making, some us may have regressed!

During 2017 I kept this blog updated with monthly rundowns of what I’d shot, where I had or hadn’t been and each month put up a bunch of images. It also means this post itself can be a lot shorter as I’ve written about the year already. You can go back and read those blogs here…

Overall its been a year of great highs and a year of loss. I was extremely excited and hugely proud to have a book of images “Intentional” released by Kozu Books, as part of their Landscape Editions, in the early summer and it seems to have been very warmly received. Though it sold out in no time at all, you can see all the images featured in the book here

2017 wasn’t a good year for getting out of Northumberland, only the annual trip out down to #Connected at the Patchings Art Centre combined with a trip back through Yorkshire supplied me with new locations in the first half of the year, and 2 hours in York gave me some city based data to work with in October. This is something I really need to improve on, especially if I’m going to give this Youtube vlogging thing a proper go in 2018.

Away from photography, but greatly affecting it, there have been some deaths and more care needed to be given out which curtailed my photography. My uncle died suddenly in February, and my dogs needed more care as they aged. I lost them both in 2017, both had put in good innings though. In the summer we got Finn our new Labrador pup who also needs cared for, but in another way! Luckily he hasn’t got his teeth into any photographic equipment …yet! He’s just eaten into my time.

A nod to others

I’d like to mention a few folks here who I’ve seen work from or interacted with during 2017. I’d like to thank those who invited me along for shoots Anita Nicholson, Andrew Atkinson, Ian Burton, Chris Dale and Alan Lightley. Thanks to Greg Stewart of Kozu Books for having the balls to try to put my images in a book – seemed to work out decent! As always, thanks to Rob and Karen Knight for the work they put in to run #Connected which this year celebrated 10 years!

My new discovery of the year goes to Stuart McGlennon, he’s not been on twitter that long and therefore hasn’t been on my radar but I’ve been hugely impressed with his landscape imagery – normally the type I don’t particularly like, but I love Stuart’s!

My Favourite image by another photographer this year is Mike Curry‘s spectacular “Metallic Silk”

I took 999 photographs of the same piece of water the other day, I got *one* I liked: “Metallic Silk” Hope it works here, looks great large! pic.twitter.com/6BIkiTGY67

The Images

So anyway, you probably came here just for the pictures so here we go with my 10 favourite images from 2017.
Note: One was captured in 2015, but only “created” this year.

Favourites of 2017 – Neist Point, Isle of Skye

Favourites of 2017 – Bamburgh Village between rain showers

Favourites of 2017 – Your Towns Will Burn

Favourites of 2017 – Lost to all hope

Favourites of 2017 – Faltering Under the Fury (2017)

Favourites of 2017 – Alnwick Castle and Lion Bridge

Favourites of 2017 – Salt’s Mill, Saltaire

Favourites of 2017 – Slow Descent

Favourites of 2017 – Branton Ponds in storm light

Favourites of 2017 – Salt’s Mill and Canal, Saltaire

Video

Prints?

In a move stolen from Ben Horne, I’m considering offering a box set of all 10 of these images if the interest is there. Let me know in the comments below if you are and I’ll look into it in more detail and put together a deal.

Whats next?

Well as mentioned in my November blog I’m seriously looking into doing some Youtube videos in the typical landscape photography vlogging style, done so well by others, but with the twist that I don’t shoot in a traditional manner. Go and subscribe to my Youtube Channel its now live!